Track belt and unit therefor



Feb. ze, 1924'. 1,485,046

M. B. MORGAN TRACK BELT AND UNIT THEREFOR Original Filed rch 22. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l 1' I P ATTORNEYv Feb. 26, 1924.l

' 1,485,046 M. B. MoRGAN TRACK BELT AND UNIT THEREFOR Original Filed March 22. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j Wifi Z4 INVENTOR /Vd/ew. /l/a/yan ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 26, 19.24.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MATHEW MORGAN, 0F CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 THE CLEVELAND TRACTOR COMPANY, OF EUCLID, OHIO, A. CORPORATION 0F OHIO.

TRACK BELT A ND UNIT THEREFOR.

-Applioation led Hatch 22, 1920, Serial No. 367,716. Renewed February 20, 1922. Serial No. 538,094.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MATHEW B. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland Heights, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Track Belts and Units Therefor of which the 'following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a cheap lbut eli'ective track belt for track laying tractors made up of a plurality of similar pressed steel units; and the invention conslsts in the combination of parts constituting each unit, and in the combination of a plurality of units with means by which ltoiey are pivotally connected to form a track In the drawing,'Fig. 1` is a plan view of two pivoted together track belt units; Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation in the plane of crooked line 2-2 on Fig. 1; Fi 3 is a sectional end view in the plane of ine 3 3 on Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a front end view of one of saidunits; Fig. 5 is a vertical section in the plane of line 5-5 on Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a plan view of two pivoted together links and associated parts, showing a modified construction; Fig. 7 is a sectlonal side elevation in the plane of line 7-7 on Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a sectional view in the plane of line 8-8 ony Fi 6; and Fig. 9 is an end view of one end o the pin by which two links are pivoted together.

Each unit is composed of two pressed metal parts viz, a, bottom member 10, and a rail member 20, which are preferably connected together in proper relation to each other by means-ofthe same pin 30 which is used to pivotally connecttwo of said units together. The bottom member at its front end is formed with two integral cylindrical sleeves 12 having transversely aligned axes, which sleeves are located respectively at the side edges of said bottom member. These sleeves extend upward from the bottom plate, bein formed by bending integral tongues upwar and rearward and downward, bringing the ends of said tongues into contact with the bottom plate to which said ends are secured by weldin or other suitable means. At the rear en of the bottom member are a plurality of other integral cylindrical sleeves 13 which are axially aligned transversely, and which are formedby bending certain rearwardly projecting integral tongues upward, forward an -downward in-to substantially cylindrical form,-bringin Ainto contact with the bottom plate and se- -curing them to it by welding or other suitthe ends of said tongues able means or methods. These sleeves, like those at the front end, extend upward from the bottom plate. This bottom member is or may be as wide as it is desired to have the ground engaging shoe of the unit, and may serve as the shoe, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4; or an independently constructed shoe 40 may lbe secured against the under side of the bottom member 10, as shown in Fig. 7

The top member serves as the track for the weight supporting wheels (shown in dotted lines Fig. 2) mounted on a tractor. It has a longitudinally extended rail plate21 which is narrower than the bottom plate; and it has its side ends upturned to form flanges 22 which serve to strengthen the rail plate 21 and also to guide the track wheels of the tractor which `are supported by said rail plate and roll upon it when the tractor is equipped with a. track belt made as herein described.

At the front end of the rail plate there is aforwardly projecting integra-l cylindrical sleeve 24 formed by bending downward and.

rearward and upward an integral tongue, and connecting the end of that tongue with the under face of the rail plate-by welding or other suitable means or methods. At the rear end ofA the rail plate there are two sleeves 25 26, which are axially aligned transversel and are formed by bending two integral tongues downward and rearward and upward until their ends are in contact with the under face of the plate 21, and said ends are secured to said plate b welding or other suitable means or met ods. These sleeves at both ends of the rail member extend downward therefrom. v v

The various sleeves are so disposed transversely that the sleeves at the front ends of the two members may be arranged side by side and in axial alignment'with each other; while at the same time the sleeves on the two members .at the other ends thereof may be side by side and in axial alignment.

vWhen the sleeves at they front and rear ends of these two members are aligned as aligned sleeves. These pins are, preferably, the same pins by meansof which two links or units are pivoted together. v

It is to be noted that when the two members l0 and 20 are arranged as stated, the sleeves at one end of the resulting link are longitudinally aligned with spaces between sleeves at the other end of said link. This relative arrangement of .the sleeves and spaced at opposite ends of the link is of importance because thereby it is possible to cause thevsleeves at one end of one link to overlap and go into the spaces between sleeves at the adjacent end of the other link.

In practice the two parts l0 and 20 of a link are arranged as stated, with the sleeves at their respective ends in axial alignment; and then another link with its parts similarly arranged is placed in proper relatlon with the first named link. That is to say, the aligned sleeves on one link are caused to overlap and go into the spaces between sleeves on the adjacent end of the next link. When all of the sleeves on the adjacent ends of the two links are so overlapped land aligned the pin 30 is passed through these sleeves, thereby pivoting two links together as well as connecting the parts 10/and 2()l of both links at the ends thereof which are pivoted together. At one end of the pin 30 there are short tongues 31 pressed out (see Fig. 9) into positions substantially at right angles. When the pin is in place, passing through vthe various sleeves as stated, those tongues 31, b engaging the one with the bottom mem er 10 and the other with the downwardly extending part of the adjacent sleeve 12 will be prevented from turning in the sleeves on the bottom member.

By referring particularly to Fig. 1, it will be observed that there is a space between the two sleeves 13 at each side of the center line of a link, for which there is no corresponding sleeve at the opposite end of the link. The purpose of these spaces is to l receive the rollers 35 which are rotatably mounted upon the pins 30.

It is proposed to use with a track belt formed as shown and described a double sprocket, that is to say, a. sprocket having two circumferential rows of sprocket teeth,

(as shown by dotted lines on Fig. 3) and these are so placed with respect to each other that the one row of sprocket teeth will engage one of the rollers 35, while the other row of sprocket teeth will engage the other roller 35.

These rollers may be cylindrical and they are shown as such in the embodiment. of the invention disclosed in Figs. 6, 7, 8,

`wherein a shoe 40 having a grouser 41 is secured to the member 10. The construction shown in these figures is substantially like the construction shown in the preceding figures, except in that the bottom member 10 of each link has secured to its lower face a wear plate or shoe 40, the front end of which is turned down to form a ground engaging grouser 41.

It is generally necessary that a track belt on a track-laying tractor be provided ywith grouser ribs.- In the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5, these grouser ribs are carried by the so-called rollers and project down between the bottoms of two adjacent bottom members 10. y

In the specific construction as shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the so-called rollers are formed from a rectangular blank having two parallel end members 36 which are connected by straps, which when this blank is bent, are bent into substantially cylindrical shape to form rollers 35. The two end members are bent outward from the rollers kso that their flat sides are parallel and close together. Then the narrow strip 37 is preferably placed between the parts 36, and all three are secured together by welding or otherwise, to form the grouser ribs. When the rollers are put into the spaces between sleeves on the two links and around the pins 30 those ribs project down between and below the two bottom members of adjacent links. When a completed track belt is in use the rollers will have only a limited rocking movement upon the pin, Vsaid movement being limited by the engagement of their downwardly projecting transverse grouser ribs, with down pressed tongues 39 which are integral with the two members 10 of the two links.

Again referring to the construction shown in Figs. 6, 7, 8, attention is called to the fact that at the rear end of the bottom link member 10 there are only two sleeves instead of four, as are shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, for example.

As a matter of fact, it isl of no great consequence with respect to the present in- 'vention whether there be more or fewer` sleeves than specifically shown at either end of either of the link members 10 and 12. The relative arrangement of sleeves as described is essential, but such arrangement substantially is possible regardless of the number of sleeves.

Having described my claim 1. A track belt unit comprising a bottom member having at both its ends upwardly extending integral transversely aligned sleeves, and a rail member having at its opposite ends integral transverse ,sleeves which extend downward to ositions such that the sleeves. at the ends t ereof may be transinvention, I

versely aligned with sleeves at the corre-4 sponding ends of the bottom member,-the sleeves at both ends of said unit being arextended vintegral meente ranged in longitudinal alignment with openings between sleeves at the other end of said unit, and a pivot pin at each end of the unit extending 'through the transversely aligned sleeves.

2. A track belt unit comprising a bottom member having at both its ends upwardly extended integral transversely aligned sleeves, and a rail member chaving at its opposite ends integral transverse sleeves which extend downward to positions such that the sleeves at the ends thereof may be transversely aligned with sleeves at the corresponding ends of the bottom member, the sleeves at both ends of said unit being arranged in longitudinal alignment with openings between sleeves at the other end of said unit, and a pivot pin at each end of the unit extending through the transversely aligned sleeves, the rail member being narrower than the bottom member and having upturned longitudinal flanges at its sides.

3. A track belt unit comprising a bottom member having at both its ends upwardly transversely aligned sleeves, and a rail member having at its opposite ends integral transverse sleeves which extend downward to positions such that the sleeves at the ends thereof may be transversely aligned' with sleeves at the corresponding ends ofthe bottom member the sleeves at both ends of said unit being arranged in longitudinal alignment with openings between sleeves at the other end of said unit, and a pivot pin at each end of the unit extending through the transversely aligned sleeves and rollers which embrace the pivot ins between aligned sleeves through which the ins pass. y 4. In a track be t, the combination or two units, each comprisinga bottom member having at both its ends transversely aligned upwardly extended sleevesfand a rail member having at its ends downwardly extended sleeves which are in transverse axial alignments with sleeves on corresponding ends of the aligned sleeves at the front end of one unit being in longitudinal alignment with spaces between sleeves at the adjacent end of the other unit, land being disposed in said spaces. and in axial alignment with the sleeves on said other unit,A a pivot pin which extends transversely through the axially aligned sleeves on the two units.

5. A pressed steel track' belt unitvcomprising a bottom member having at its ends tongues which yare bent upward and around into substantially cylindrical form and down against the uppersurface of said bottom member to which they are rigidly secured, and a rail member having at its ends tongues which are bent downward and around into cylindrical form and up against the under face of said rail sleeves at the ends ofthe rail memberbeing arranged in axial alignment with the sleeves at the corresponding ends of the bottom member, and a pin passing through the aligned sleeves at each end of saidv unit.

6. In a track belt, the combination of two pivoted together units, a transverse pivot pin whereby they are pivoted together, two longitudinally splitl rollers which loosely embrace said pivot pin each roller having two integral flanges which are bent down from the meeting edges thereof, and a rouser strip which extends between the anges of both rollers and is secured to them thereby connecting the rollers and holding them against distortion and forming 'th the flanges a reinforced ouser rib. In testimony whereof, I hereunto ax my v signature.

I MATHEW B. MORGAN.

member to which' `they are rigidly attached, the resulting 

